Wandering Plants

A practical guide for young botanical explorers. Silene vulgaris, Arctium lappa and Parietaria officinalis are just three of the names of what some people simply call “weeds”. Fortunately for us, in her book Marianna Merisi, an illustrator and landscape architect, encourages us to take our magnifying glasses, glass jars and notebooks and explore our cities, to take a close look at what is an often-overlooked feature of our streets. The little plants that bloom so vigorously in the cracks in the asphalt or on dilapidated walls are actually fundamental for enriching the soil and paving the way for other more delicate plants, creating touches of colour in unexpected places and providing nectar for gluttonous bees. The author’s meticulously detailed monochromatic drawings show us the ingenious shapes and features of these special plants. To spread themselves as far as possible, some of them almost explode in order to throw out their seeds, while others turn their flowers into fluffy plumes that are carried away by the wind, and yet others have seeds that use microscopic hooks to attach themselves the fur of animals – inspiring the invention of Velcro. Packed with fascinating information, this publication is part of PiNO, the Piccoli Naturalisti Osservatori library for those who love discovering and studying the wonders of nature. Vagabonde Marianna Merisi Topipittori, 2017